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Protest of the Last Generation in Berlin: Next stop European Parliament?
Photo: snapshot-photography / T.Seeliger / Seeliger / IMAGO
The Last Generation would like to continue their resistance against current climate policy in the EU Parliament in the future. The organization announced this at a press conference.
For two years they were the messenger of bad news in society, it says in a statement. The resistance has been brought onto the streets, into everyday life and into courtrooms - “it is time to fill this place in parliaments. It’s time to bring the resistance to parliament.”
But there are still organizational hurdles beforehand: they want the commitment of a hundred helpers and 50,000 euros in donations, according to the press release. Once that is achieved, we will start collecting the necessary 4,000 signatures.
Goal: a mandate
According to their own statements, they will not run as a party, but as an “other political association” because that has fewer requirements. Such an association has therefore already been founded. There is no detailed program, just a few core requirements, the whole thing is also considered an experiment internally, the idea is still relatively young.
If the last generation really runs for the election, Lina Johnsen and Theodor Schnarr should be at the top of the electoral list. They are two of the speakers of the Last Generation. The movement did not name any other names, but more people should be ready.
It is calculated that half a percent of all votes could be enough for a mandate, around 220,000 votes, because in the European elections, unlike in the federal elections, there is no barrier. However, even if successful, the movement does not consider more than two mandates to be realistic.
The European elections will take place in Germany on June 9th. The deadline for submitting nominations ends on the 83rd day before the election, March 18th, at 6 p.m.
According to the Federal Returning Officer, lists for individual federal states must submit support signatures from 0.1 percent of those eligible to vote in the country in question in the last election to the EU Parliament, but a maximum of 2,000 eligible voters. For a common list for all states, supporting signatures from 4,000 eligible voters must be submitted.
It was only at the end of January that the last generation announced that in the future they would stop blocking streets with glued-on activists and would protest in a different way. From March there will be a call for disobedient gatherings across the country.
jos/ulz